Heirloom Rose Gardens

Shakespeare's Juliet argued that "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" and so it is at Heirloom Rose Gardens in St. Paul, Oregon. This rose growing and hybridizing business lies tucked away in the Willamette Valley's vast rolling farm country, and the journey there is half the fun. Over the years they have transformed their greenhouse business into a large internet business and designed new display gardens to showcase the many varieties of roses available to shoppers.

The drive to the St. Paul area winds over Clark Hill, Bald Peak with its nearby state park, and Chehalem Mountain with its 1265 foot summit. The views from these hills are stunning as the valleys below spread out their vineyards and various crops of beans, wheat, filberts, corn and other seasonal foods. Laurel hedges and flowering plum trees line parts of the road while ripening, fragrant blackberries crawl up the hillsides, begging to be picked. Alas, there are few stopping points while going over the hills so bring a friend to take pictures while you drive. Crossing the wide, smooth Willamette River and passing by a dairy, you wind the final miles to the rose gardens.

My friends and I met at the entrance and began to wander among the many rows of grass-edged flower beds, bending near to smell the different fragrances of some roses or to peer into the colorful petals of others unfolding in the warm summer air. Hundreds of varieties from tall ramblers and climbers to tiny miniatures are grown in the manicured and labeled beds. There are a number of named gardens on the property, each with a sign and some with arbors garnished with lovely climbing roses.

There are benches strategically placed under shade trees and at view points so visitors can rest between strolls as the gardens seem to go on and on into the distant hills. White picket and sash fences line the perimeters and gardeners quietly work to pull unwanted weeds, deadhead roses and otherwise keep the gardens looking their best. Each rose seems to be grown twice, once on each side of the bed, and is labeled with its name and variety type. Some of the roses are still in the experimental stage so have code names for the present.

Once our noses had been sated with sweet fragrances we unpacked our lunch on a stone paved patio under tall conifers, the shade a welcome relief from the now hot sun of noon. We dallied in starting our lunch as the view from the patio was so peaceful and engaging. The cold quinoa salad, iced coffees and fresh peach cobbler was such an appropriate menu for the scene. Conversation brought us late into the afternoon as the shade worked its way around us, a cooling breeze adding just the right touch to a perfect gathering of friends.





Visit Heirloom Rose Gardens before they close for the season at the end of September and select a rose or two to add to your garden or to give to a gardening friend. The plants are grown on their own root stock so they will always come true to variety in the event of a partial loss of the plant. As you drive away, the sweet scent of roses will stay with you long after the gardens drop behind the hills.